F-Si

Asymmetric Integration

(Ai) Drivetrain

The heart of the F-Si’s System Integration is the all-new, Ai, asymmetrically offset rear triangle and drivetrain. The offset essentially pushes the rear triangle and drivetrain 6mm to the right - allowing the wheel to be centered in-line with the seat tube and center line of the bike. This does not mean any special wheel parts – just equal spoke lengths and tension.

This Ai engineering results in a rear wheel that is up to 60% stiffer. We then integrate this with our new Ai HollowGram spider, which moves the chainrings an equal 6mm to the right, balancing the system and maintaining perfect chain-line, shifting performance and Q-factor.

This elegantly simple approach -Ai - enables us to have our cake and eat it too.

System29

Geometry

When it comes to the way a bike handles, geometry is everything. The difference of just a few millimeters here or a half a degree there can significantly impact handling. We developed a winning 29er geometry for the F29 but World Cup competition is changing. With courses becoming ever more technical, steep and brutal, we knew we needed to rethink XC geometry completely. The result is F-Si - a bike that defines new-school XC handling and speed.

NEW LEFTY 2.0

A bike as radically new and boundary-pushing as the F-Si demands an equally radical fork to complement its freakish handling and stiffness. That’s the new Lefty. For the uninitiated, Lefty has always been the lightest, stiffest, smoothest, and most durable front suspension on the start line, and for 2015, the F-Si features the all-new Lefty 2.0.

BallisTec

Carbon

BallisTec is Cannondale's high-strength, high-stiffness carbon construction. It starts with a base structure composed of ultra-strong fibers originally created by the military for ballistic armoring, and high-strength, high-impact resins similar to what is used in the construction of carbon baseball bats. Ride-feel tuning and stiffness comes from precision addition of high and ultra-high modulus fibers and the result is some of lightest, stiffest and toughest frames out there.

SPEED SAVE

Micro-Suspension Technology

SPEED SAVE technology reduces fatigue and improves control and handling by reducing the amount of shock and vibration a frame transmits through to the rider. By pairing precise tube shapes with sophisticated carbon lay‐up, we are able to create areas on the rear chainstays and seat stays and seatpost that can deflect to absorb shock, while staying completely rigid laterally and torsionally. The enhanced vertical compliance provided by these combined features greatly improves rider comfort and rear wheel traction, so that you can ride faster, longer.

SAVE 2

Seatpost

The evolution of standard setting SAVE seat post is the SAVE 2 post, found on the F-Si. With SAVE 2, we shaved off 47 grams while also increasing deflection by 20 percent. On the new post, we were able to manipulate the “natural” leaf spring curve of the post to our advantage. The new, linear deflection curve of the SAVE 2 post offers more deflection at lower weights, but also more support at higher loads – which means better comfort, especially for lighter riders, and a more controlled, linear feel while maintaining full strength and support at maximum loads.

HollowGram

SiSL2 and Si Cranksets

Simply the lightest, stiffest, bad-ass-est cranks ever to be bolted onto a mountain bike, the HollowGram Si SiSL2 represents the latest evolutions of the crank that started the BB30 revolution. These hollow cranks are created by bonding together two machined, heat-treated clamshell halves with a super-strong anaerobic bonding agent. The result is a crank light and stiff enough for our top road race machines but tough enough for a lifetime on the trails, as the full-throttle performance of our CFR and Sho-Air Cannondale Pro XC teams shows. Since the spider is interchangeable, HollowGram cranks are compatible with all major double and single chainring options, including Ai and XX1.

Quick Release

A racer needs to be able to make quick wheel changes and thus far, nothing can can compare to a quick release in terms of speed. Using a standard QR enables us to make a lighter frame and spec a lighter rear hub. With the F-Si we have created a frame and rear wheel that is not only lighter and simpler than the competitors’ 142x12mm through-axle systems, but is also stiffer!

The

Bike

The most integrated, most advanced and fastest XC race bike ever made.

The

Rider

XC racers and hardtail purists looking to gain time on their rivals in every section of the course.

System

Integration

We pride ourselves in making the most kickass, cutting edge frames in cycling. That’s great and all, but you don’t race a frame, you race a complete bike. It seems like common sense, but we stand alone in the industry with our System Integration approach to bicycle design. It’s a lonely position, perhaps, but instead of spending our time posting cat pictures on the internet, we’re at the drawing board, thinking of new ways to make bikes faster.

Rather than limiting ourselves by designing frames to accept off-the-shelf standards, we develop component technologies and frames as a complete package, each designed specifically to enhance the performance of the other. The resulting harmony between our frames and our Si technologies like Lefty, BB30 and the all-new Ai Drivetrain and SAVE 2 seatpost delivers real benefits to the rider. System Integrated bikes are lighter, stiffer, better handling and simply faster than anything else out there.

Ai Drivetrain

Asymmetric Integration

The heart of the F-Si’s System Integration is the all-new, Ai,
asymmetrically offset rear triangle and drivetrain. The offset
shifts the rear hub and drivetrain 6mm to the right, delivering
super short chainstays without any of the usual compromises,
and a rear wheel that is dramatically stiffer and stronger because
the spoke tension and angles are equal on both sides.

We then integrate this with our new Ai HollowGram spider, which
moves the chainrings an equal 6mm to the right, balancing the system
and maintaining perfect chain-line, shifting performance and Q-factor.

This elegantly simple approach - Ai - enables us to
have our cake and eat it too. The extra space created by
shifting the drivetrain outboard enables us to have:

The shortest chainstays on the market, for incredible traction,
stiffness and agility.

Up to 60% increase in rear wheel stiffness.

Dual chainring compatibility with super short stays.

Tons of mud clearance.

Ample tire clearance with the chain and front derailleur.

SYSTEM 29 GEOMETRY

When it comes to the way a bike handles, geometry is everything.
The difference of just a few millimeters here or a half a degree there can significantly impact handling.

We developed a winning 29er geometry for the F29 but World Cup competition is changing. With courses becoming ever more technical, steep and brutal, we knew we needed to rethink XC geometry completely.

The result is F-Si - a bike that defines new-school XC handling and speed.

How we did it:

Puts more of the rider weight over the rear wheel, dramatically increasing rear wheel traction on steep climbs.

Slack Head Angle with 55mm Offset Lefty.

Progressively slack 69.5° head angle mated to the Lefty’s proprietary 55mm fork offset, the nimble rear end is complemented by equally agile and capable steering.

At high speeds, the added stability of the slack head angle enables the rider to attack rough terrain with confidence

In slower, tight, technical sections, the extra fork offset and resulting lack of “trail” keep the steering quick and nimble.

NEW LEFTY 2.0

A bike as radically new and boundary-pushing as the F-Si demands an equally radical fork to complement its freakish handling and stiffness. That’s the new Lefty.

For the uninitiated, Lefty has always been the lightest, stiffest, smoothest, and most durable front suspension on the start line, and for 2015, the F-Si features the all-new Lefty 2.0:

New XC Damper – Who says an XC rocket can’t borrow technology from the enduro world? The new Lefty gets the same new smooth and supple damper technology found in our new SuperMax forks, but tuned for XC. Available with either PBR or XLR lockout options.

Dual Integrated Crowns – Stiffer and stronger than single crown setups. For 2015, the new Lefty has multiple clamp widths, lowering the front end heights of our small, medium and large sizes.

Inverted Design – Inverted design is not just stiffer and stronger, it’s also better lubricated. Gravity holds lube against the seals and bearings for longer life and smoother action.

New Oversized Clamp Area – The new gets an updated structure which grows to 44mm in diameter at the clamp areas. This keeps the fork svelte, but adds even more stiffness and strength.

New 29” Specific Offset – To complement the F-Si’s ninja-like rear end handling, the new Lefty uses a 55mm offset, which is longer than the competition. When combined with slack head angles, this creates the perfect balance of high speed stability and low speed agility.